MADEIRA WEATHERKnowing the weather patterns when going on holiday is not only important in order to pack the correct clothes, but also guides one as to the best time for your particular holiday. We tried to provide you with easy to read graphics of the most impotent weather information.

_Madeira Weather Overview

_The unique weather of Madeira that is maintained throughout the year can be directly attributed to the Azores anticyclone weather pattern. As a result of the privileged geographical location as well as the general east west orientation of the island it is said to be divided into different weather regions.

With daily mean temperatures are between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius. The temperate island of Madeira has a sub-tropical weather. Due to this it is essentially guarantees that extremes will be far and wide apart, if at all. The clear blue skies and the odd rain shower is what defines this beautiful island year round as the sporadic showers keeps it fresh and green with a profusion of natural flowers.

Madeira is classified as a Mediterranean weather. Despite this there are distinct climatic difference between the north facing and south facing regions on this tiny island. This is as a result of the large differences in humidity, wind, sun exposure, and temperature ranges between the two areas. One can thus expect that large variations can exist between these micro-weathers.

The island’s weather is significantly influenced by the Gulf Stream and Canary Current. The Gulf Stream is a strong, fast moving, warm ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico. It flows north along the American coast before crossing the Atlantic Ocean as the Atlantic drift. This current brings masses of warm water to Madeira. This warm water provides the setting for a temperate year-round weather.

A variety of weather graphs is normally available to the traveler for the assessment of the weather of the area to be visited. The most common ones in use are the average temperature chart and the precipitation of different months during the year. Other charts that can be useful to determine the best time to visit your favorite holiday destination includes, the monthly rainy days and the average daylight hours per day on a month by month basis.

Often high/low climatic information is misunderstood as being the typical high/low value that one can expect to find for the area in question. The high/low climatic information is normally the average normalized values for at least a 30 year period. This is necessary to make it statistically meaningful. It should be remembered that an average high or low is a statistical average and not necessarily typical values. An average is the average of the extremes and everything in between. Despite these limitations, most holidaymakers evaluate these to determine the potential weather conditions for a selected holiday.

Please find below the best available information about the prevailing weather at Funchal on Madeira that you may use to plan your ideal holiday.

__High/Low and Mean Daily Temperatures

The chart above plots the average high and low temperature for each
month of the year for the Funcal area. It also shows the daily mean temperatures for the same area.On Funcal the temperature range spans about 6.5 degrees Celsius. from a low of 13 degrees in January and February to a high of 25.5 degrees in August and September. The daily mean temperature varies from 16 degrees in January and February to 22.3 degrees in August and September. This narrow band of temperatures makes Funchal the ideal holiday destination.In terms of temperature categorization Funchal falls in the comfortable temperature range (18°C to 24°C) for 93% of the day.

_Sustained Maximum & Average Wind Speed

The chart above plots the maximum sustained wind speed (in kilometers per hour) for each
month of the year for the Funchal area. It also shows the average wind speed for the same area.It should be noted that a weather station is normally considerably elevated, meaning it is likely to get marginally stronger winds than at ground level.

Unless you are a wind surfer you do not want to have strong winds when you go on holiday.

To put wind speed in perspective, according to the Beaufort Scale, which is an empirical measure for the intensity of wind the following descriptions are used:

From this it is clear that in Funchal, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 33 km/h and average wind speeds of 7 and below, wind is not a negative factor, as the mountain protects the city from the stronger winds.

What is interesting is that sailing and windsurfing is practiced extensively around Madeira, as suitable wind speeds are found for these activities in areas clear of the protection of the mountain.

_Sea Temperatures

_The chart above plots the average sea temperatures for each
month of the year for the Funchal area.

The average sea temperatures are provided to to provide a guide as to the "swim-ability" of the water, however other factors such as outside temperature, humidity and wind speed should also be considered as this contributes to the experience when leaving the water.For swimming a water temperature of the Sea Below 19°C is considered relatively cool and though enjoyed by the more hardy among us, any more than 10-20 minutes in the sea would leave you feeling refreshed. For swimming a Water Temperature of the Sea Below 22°C is considered fairly warm and should be enjoyed by most swimmers.Please note that this is a guide only and in no way should be used to dictate how long to spend in water.

_Daylight Hours & Average Daily Sunshine Hours

_The chart above plots the daylight hours for each
month of the year for the Funchal area. It also shows the average daily sunshine hours for the same area.

Due to the latitude of the island of Madeira, the daylight hours vary between 10 hours during the winter and 14 hours during the summer. This reasonably easy split between daylight and nighttime provides an ideal setting for daytime activities without sacrificing time for nighttime activities.

The outside lifestyle is clearly very nice with the average daily sunshine hours varying between 5 in the winter time to as much as 9 during the summer.

Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation

_UV radiation cannot be seen or felt – we see
visible radiation as light and feel infra-red radiation as
heat. In cooler locations, where access to warmth and light
may be desirable, outdoor spaces can be designed to protect
against UV radiation but permit access to visible and
infra-red radiation.

The UV Index is a forecast of the potential intensity of skin damaging ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth's surface during the solar noon hour, that is between 11:30 and 12:30. the general rule is that the greater the UV Index number, the larger the amount of potentially skin damaging UV radiation reaching the earth. the actual amount of UV radiation needed to actually damage one's skin is dependent on several factors. Factors affecting UV radiation includes the season, time of day, geographic location, reflective propensity of the surrounding environment as well as other factors such as cloud cover, air pollutants and personal biological factors. .

The UV protection guidelines listed above is provided as broad guidelines based on generally available information on the internet. It is a fact that exposure to high levels of unprotected UV radiation can lead to skin cancer . The protective actions listed is not the onlyavailable methodologies and it is best for individuals to seek professional assistance if you are unsure.

_Rainy Days (> 1mm)

_The chart above plots the number of rainy days with more than 1 millimeter of rain recorded for each
month of the year for the Funchal area.

Despite the abundance of water on the island, rainy days with more than 1mm in a 24 hour period is not very common in Funchal. The island is located in a winter rainfall area as can be clearly seen from the number of days of rain in the winter (October to March) with June July & august almost no rainy days.

_Precipitation (mm/Month)

_The chart above plots the perspiration in millimeters for each
month of the year for the Funchal area. The average rainfall per month supports the conclusion above that Madeira is a winter rainfall area. On average the city of Funchal receives on average 513 mm per year.

With a clear differentiation between the rainy season and the dry season it is easy to plan your holiday to Madeira depending on your preference.

_Humidity

_The chart above plots the average humidity for each
month of the year for the Funchal area. Humidity refers to the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air. It is expressed in terms of a percentage. The higher the percentage, the more humid the weather.

Humidity is important to know as we are very sensitive to humidity, as our skins rely on dry air to get rid of the moisture on our skins caused by sweating as this evaporation cools us down. For example, if the air temperature is 24 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity is zero percent, the air temperature feels like 21 degrees Celsius to our bodies and if the air temperature is 24 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity is 100 percent, we feel like it is 27 degrees Celsius.

As can be seen from the graph above, the monthly average humidity is as a comfortable level throughout the year with September being the lowest at 62% and June being the highest at 68% on average.